INSIDE TENNIS: TECHNIQUES OF WINNING.

By Jim Leighton '38. Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey: Prentice-Hall,Inc., 1969. 192 pp. Illustrated. $5.95.

This book is a comprehensive technical manual which describes the methods for the instruction and development of a tennis player from beginner to finished player. Its authoritativeness and usefulness are enhanced by comments throughout by some of the best known and most successful teaching professionals. The author, Jim Leighton, is tennis coach at Wake Forest University and the pro at the Old Town Club, WinstonSalem, N. C.

The teaching process is divided into that for the beginner, the intermediate, and the advanced player. In all three stages, ball control and a solid defense must be attained.

The beginner is taught therefore only the proper grips, the forehand and backhand strokes, the lob, and the serve with emphasis primarily on steady flat hitting. The proper production of each stroke is illustrated by motion picture frames, and the main elements of each stroke are analyzed; that is, the proper balance and footwork, backswing, hitting through the ball, and followthrough.

The intermediate pupil is taught the volley, overhead and drop shot; and tactics are amplified to include the approach shot, i.e. hitting a short ball deep, generally down the line and following behind it to the net to volley the return. Intermediate tactics include anticipation by bisecting the angle of your opponent's possible return, by most often playing crosscourts until a short ball permits an approach to the net.

The advanced pupil is first introduced to "the big game," i.e. serve, rush to the net, and volley. The service grip is changed from forehand to backhand (Continental) to permit more power and proper use of spin, i.e. flat slice, overspin, and American twist. The proper use of spin on other strokes, learned earlier, is emphasized. The big serve is now followed to the net on fast surfaces, and the methods of opening up the court for placements are explained.

The book never lets the pupil forget that 80% of tennis points are won on opponents' errors and that a solid defense (i.e. good ground strokes) must back up "the big game."

This book is one of the best technical tennis manuals this reviewer has read in 65 years of playing and helping others learn the game. It is a must for every instructor and serious student of the game.

A retired Western Electric executive, Mr.Frost, an amateur active in tennis andsquash circles since his Dartmouth undergraduate days, has been coaching for manyyears at the Upper Ridgewood Tennis Clubin New Jersey.